Arrangement and Method for Connecting an Ad-Hoc Communication Network to a Permanent Communication Network via a Half-Duplex Communication Link

1. A system for connecting an ad-hoc communication network to a permanent communication network via a half-duplex communication link, the system comprising: a communication device that includes a processor unit for running a routing protocol for including the communication device into the ad-hoc communication network, and a gateway device that includes a processor unit for running the routing protocol for including the gateway device into the ad-hoc communication network, the gateway device being capable of relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link and relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link, wherein the processor unit of the gateway device is configured to be suitable for selecting between: prioritizing relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link over relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link; and prioritizing relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link over relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the gateway device comprises a circuitry for sending to the ad-hoc communication network an indicator of channel unavailability as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network and the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the gateway device comprises a circuitry for buffering data received from the ad-hoc communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network while receiving said data.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the gateway device comprises a circuitry for: storing an indicator of an attempted transmission into a buffer memory as a response to the situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network and the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network, and sending to the ad-hoc communication network an indicator of channel availability as a response to a situation in which the buffer memory contains the indicator of the attempted transmission and the gateway device is switched from the half-duplex listening mode to a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor unit of the gateway device is configured to be suitable for: switching the gateway device into a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the permanent communication network, keeping the gateway device in the half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as long as the gateway device receives data from the permanent communication network in spite of the fact that the gateway device is capable of simultaneously receiving data also from the ad-hoc communication network, and switching the gateway device into a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data only from the ad-hoc communication network.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor unit of the gateway device is configured to be suitable for: switching the gateway device into a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network, keeping the gateway device in the half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as long as the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network in spite of the fact that the gateway device is capable of simultaneously receiving data also from the permanent communication network, and switching the gateway device into a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data only from the permanent communication network.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the gateway device comprises circuitry for relaying data from the ac-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which said data is carried in a protocol data unit that is provided with a pre-determined protocol address.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the communication device comprises a control interface for receiving a pre-determined control action and a processor unit for providing the protocol data unit with the pre-determined protocol address as a response to the pre-determined control action, and otherwise, to provide the protocol data unit with another protocol address.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the gateway device comprises a mobile phone that includes a transmitter for relaying data to the permanent communication network.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the communication device is integrated with one of the following: a breathing protection apparatus, a helmet, and a wearable device.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the routing protocol is an IP-multicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the routing protocol is an IP-unicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

13. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the ad-hoc communication network is a full-duplex communication network.

14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the permanent communication network comprises at least one of the following: a mobile communication network and a landline network.

15. A gateway device comprising a processor unit arranged to run a routing protocol for including the gateway device into an ad-hoc communication network, the gateway device being capable of relaying, via a half-duplex communication link, data from the ad-hoc communication network to a permanent communication network and relaying, via the half-duplex communication link, data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network, wherein the processor unit is arranged to select between: prioritizing relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link over relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link; and prioritizing relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link over relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link.

16. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the processor unit is arranged to send to the ad-hoc communication network an indicator of channel unavailability as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network and the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

17. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the processor unit is arranged to store data received from the ad-hoc communication network into a buffer memory as a response to a situation in which the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network while receiving said data.

18. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the processor unit is arranged: to store an indicator of an attempted transmission into a buffer memory as a response to the situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network and the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network, and to send to the ad-hoc communication network an indicator of channel availability as a response to a situation in which the buffer memory contains the indicator of the attempted transmission and the gateway device is switched from the half-duplex listening mode to the half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

19. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the processor unit is arranged: to switch the gateway device into a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the permanent communication network, to keep the gateway device in the half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as long as the gateway device receives data from the permanent communication network in spite of the fact that the gateway device is capable of simultaneously receiving data also from the ad-hoc communication network, and to switch the gateway device into a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data only from the ad-hoc communication network.

20. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the processor unit is arranged: to switch the gateway device into a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network, to keep the gateway device in the half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as long as the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network in spite of the fact that the gateway device is capable of simultaneously receiving data also from the permanent communication network, and to switch the gateway device into a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data only from the permanent communication network.

21. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein processor unit is arranged to relay data from the ac-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which said data is carried in a protocol data unit that is provided with a pre-determined protocol address.

22. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the gateway device comprises a mobile phone that includes the transmitter capable of relaying data to the permanent communication network.

23. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the routing protocol is an IP-multicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

24. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the routing protocol is an IP-unicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

25. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the gateway device is arranged to support full-duplex communication within the ad-hoc communication network.

26. The gateway device according to claim 15 , wherein the gateway device is capable of relaying data to and from at least one of the following permanent communication networks: a mobile communication network and a landline network.

27. A method for connecting an ad-hoc communication network to a permanent communication network via a half-duplex communication link, the method comprising: running a routing protocol in a communication device for including the communication device into the ad-hoc communication network, running a routing protocol in a gateway device for including the gateway device into the ad-hoc communication network, the gateway device being capable of relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link and relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link, and selecting between: prioritizing relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link over relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link; and prioritizing relaying data from the permanent communication network to the ad-hoc communication network via the half-duplex communication link over relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network via the half-duplex communication link.

28. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the method comprises sending from the gateway device to the ad-hoc communication network an indicator of channel unavailability as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network and the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

29. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the method comprises storing data that is received in the gateway device from the ad-hoc communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network while receiving said data.

30. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the method further comprises sending from the gateway device to the ad-hoc communication network an indicator of channel availability as a response to a situation in which the gateway device has received data from the ad-hoc communication network while being in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network and the gateway device is switched from the half-duplex listening mode to the half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

31. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the method comprises: switching the gateway device into a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the permanent communication network, keeping the gateway device in the half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as long as the gateway device receives data from the permanent communication network in spite of the fact that the gateway device is capable of simultaneously receiving data also from the ad-hoc communication network, and switching the gateway device into a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data only from the ad-hoc communication network.

32. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the method comprises: switching the gateway device into a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network, keeping the gateway device in the half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network as long as the gateway device receives data from the ad-hoc communication network in spite of the fact that the gateway device is capable of simultaneously receiving data also from the permanent communication network, and switching the gateway device into a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the gateway device receives data only from the permanent communication network.

33. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the relaying data from the ac-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network takes place as a response to a situation in which said data is carried in a protocol data unit that is provided with a pre-determined protocol address.

34. The method according to claim 33 , wherein the protocol data unit is provided with the pre-determined protocol address as a response to a pre-determined control action received by the communication device, and otherwise, the protocol data unit is provided with another protocol address.

35. The method according to claim 27 , wherein a transmitter of a mobile phone is used for relaying data from the ad-hoc communication network to the permanent communication network.

36. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the communication device is integrated with one of the following: a breathing protection apparatus, a helmet, and a wearable device.

37. The method according to claim 27 , wherein an IP-multicast protocol (Internet Protocol) is used as the routing protocol and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

38. The method according to claim 27 , wherein an IP-unicast protocol (Internet Protocol) is used as the routing protocol and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

39. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the ad-hoc communication network is a full-duplex communication network.

40. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the permanent communication network comprises at least one of the following: a mobile communication network and a landline network.